Ron Wyden

Ron Wyden (3 May 1949-) was a US Senator from Oregon (D) from 5 February 1996, succeeding Bob Packwood. He formerly served in the US House of Representatives (D-OR 3) from 3 January 1981 to 5 February 1996, succeeding Robert B. Duncan and preceding Earl Blumenauer.

Biography
Ron Wyden was born in Wichita, Kansas on 3 May 1949, and he graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, Stanford University, and the University of Oregon. He worked as a teacher and nonprofit director, and he was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1980. He was then elected to the US Senate in 1996, becoming known as a hardcore liberal; however, he soon became known as a moderate and a compromiser. He encouraged bipartisan cooperation, siding with Republican Party senator Rand Paul during his argument against the use of drones. He opposed the Iraq War, opposed arming Iran, supported military intervention in Libya, opposed arming Syrian rebels, supported increased Medicare funding, supported free trade, supported lifting the travel ban on Cuba, opposed bailing out the banks during the Great Depression, supported stem cell research and environmentalism, supported clean power, supported gun control, supported the right to choose, supported LGBT rights, opposed the Patriot Act, supported declaring English the official language of the United States, opposed the estate and internet taxes, opposed George W. Bush's tax cuts and balanced budget amendment, and opposed SOPA.